


Skin Deep

by SelenaEstella



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Allergies, Eczema, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Series, Skin Condition, watch me project
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:51:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9098287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaEstella/pseuds/SelenaEstella
Summary: Viktor really, really doesn’t want to go out like this. Or do much of anything, in fact. Luckily, Yuuri is there to keep him company.





	

**Author's Note:**

> -Emerges from the grave to write YOI fanfic-
> 
> Based off a true story. Unfortunately.
> 
> I’ve wanted to write a fic like this for a while, not only because I love projecting, but because skin conditions in general are often overlooked, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character coping with eczema before. It’s awful for your self esteem, and can only be worse when you're in the public eye as much as Viktor is.
> 
> I also love the hurt/comfort genre so I thought I’d combine the two.
> 
> Just as a side note--I wrote a pretty extreme case for this fic, and I’m pleased to say that this has only happened to me twice.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Ah, sorry Pitchit-kun," Yuuri said quietly, glancing over his shoulder as he cupped his phone to his ear. "Viktor isn't feeling great today, so I'm staying in with him."

Behind him, Viktor shifted slightly on the bed. He was half-listening as Yuuri said goodbye, and felt the mattress dip as his fiance sat down beside him.

"Pitchit hopes you get better soon," Yuuri said, kissing Viktor gently behind the ear. Viktor made a grunting sound of assent and pushed his face further into the hypoallergenic pillow.

Truth was, he didn't even feel all that bad. Yeah he was tired, but he'd had worse hangovers and got on fine. He was pretty uncomfortable, but any decent distraction could take his mind off it. No, physically it wasn't so bad--it was Viktor's pride that hurt the most.

He'd woken up that morning perfectly content with the world. Sunlight was peeking through the windows after 3 days of grey skies and rain, Viktor felt warm and comfortable, and of course, Yuuri was snuggled against his side.

Then he'd tried to open his eyes.

Viktor remembers the feeling of dread, like a heavy stone sinking through his chest. He'd raised a hand and felt his face, letting out a groan of misery. The skin around his eyes was tight and red, all puffed up and sore; so much so that he could barely open his eyes. Sighing heavily, Viktor had forced himself away from Yuuri's comforting embrace and fumbled his way to the small hotel bathroom. Blinking in the sudden bright light, Viktor's eyes had started to stream immediately, salt stinging his raw cheeks.

All he could do was take anti-allergy pills, use the moisturizer he'd been prescribed, and wait for it to stop. But even when the swelling went down, the rash would probably stick around... he'd be blotchy for days... start peeling... makeup would cover the rash, of course, but also make it worse.

Yuuri had woken up not long after, while Viktor was holding a cold washcloth to each eye in turn and wondering what to do. The swelling had gone down enough by then that Viktor could clearly see the alarm on Yuuri's face.

"Are you ok??"

Viktor had smiled wanly and nodded, leaning back against the sink. "Just allergies," he'd said. "I'm not sick or dying." Unfortunately.

The first thing Yuuri did was hug him. The second was ask what he could do.

Viktor thought a moment, moving the washcloth to his other eye. "I suspect the pillows set it off," he mused aloud. "So, if you could, please ask reception if they have any hypoallergenic bedclothes?" He had meant to do it himself, dammit, but after the whirlwind of events that had been the Grand Prix Finals, it had completely slipped Viktor's mind. Besides, it didn't usually get this bad overnight... maybe stress had been a factor, too...

Yuuri had scampered off, still in his pajamas, while Viktor had done what he could in the bathroom. Steroid cream... not a good idea to use it frequently, but with an outbreak this bad, there wasn't really another option.

In the present, Yuuri leaned towards the window, where the curtains were still drawn. "Hey, Viktor, shall I open the--"

Viktor sprang upright and grabbed Yuuri's wrist, firmly shaking his head. Yuuri looked taken aback for a second, then skeptical.

"Viktor, you can't just lie in the dark all day," he reasoned.

"I can!" Viktor insisted. "Besides, there could be reporters outside!"

"We're on the fifth floor, Viktor."

"Reporters in helicopters!" Viktor stared imploringly at Yuuri, who didn't last long. Maybe Viktor's eyes being constantly watery had something to do with it.

"Then let me turn on the TV." Yuuri squeezed Viktor's hand and smiled encouragingly. "We'll find something to take your mind off it."

Viktor shrugged and looked away.

"Vik _tor!_ " Beside him, Yuuri pouted. "We have to do _something!_ "

"I'm not stopping you from going out," Viktor mumbled, flopping onto the bed and lying on his side. "Go play with Pitchit."

"Oi." A light whack to his shoulder, and then Yuuri was leaning over, getting back in Viktor's space. "You know I couldn't just leave you."

Yuuri's expression was so tender, so earnest, that Viktor could hardly look at it. He grabbed his pillow again as a distraction and pulled it to his chest.

"Then... cuddle me and tell me I'm pretty," he mumbled, blush lost beneath the blotches on his cheeks.

Yuuri complied. He lay down behind Viktor, curling around him, and lay an arm over Viktor's waist. Something so simple did wonders to ease the misery Viktor felt.

"You're really beautiful," Yuuri murmured, finding Viktor's hand and twining their fingers together. "Your hair is soft, fine--"

"Thin," Viktor interrupted. He practically felt Yuuri roll his eyes.

"-- _a really nice colour, Viktor._.. Your eyes are beautiful as well, they remind me of the sea in Hasetsu." Yuuri's arm gave Viktor a gentle squeeze. "And, yes, your skin is beautiful too--smooth, flawless..."

"This is actually why."

"Hm?"

"Ah, my skin's always been quite dry, so I didn't get acne during puberty... I thought I was lucky, then one morning I woke up looking like a cooked lobster," Viktor said forlornly.

Yuuri chuckled lightly. "You should've seen my skin care bill when I was a teenager, it was almost as much as the monthly coaching fees."

"You should see Yurio's now, it's almost higher!" Viktor shook his head. "He needs to wear less makeup when he's off the ice, let his skin breathe more."

"Like you're letting your skin breathe by cuddling that pillow, eh?" Viktor opened his mouth for a witty comeback, then stopped, and closed it again. "Viktor?" Yuuri started to panic. "Ah, did I upset you?? I'm sorry, of course you're sensitive about it, and anyway it's your face, so--!"

"Years ago, I had an outbreak right in the middle of my Senior Debut," Viktor mumbled, and Yuuri instantly stopped talking. "It happened overnight, between competitions, and I spent the next twenty-four hours pressing ice to my face." He'd also spent every second of those hours close to tears from the anxiety. "When the day of my free skate arrived, the swelling had gone down enough that the rash could be covered with makeup, but the commentators still wondered if I'd been crying."

His routine had been almost perfect. Almost. He'd placed third, and had gone on to win his first Senior Grand Prix. But the memory still haunted him--the time a _skin condition_ had threatened his skating career.

Yuuri squeezed a little tighter, and pressed his lips against the back of Viktor's head. "I love you," Yuuri whispered between kisses. "I'll always love you, Viktor, whatever you look like."

"I know that," Viktor muttered, with a touch of bitterness. He _knew_ that it didn't matter, he _knew_ that Yuuri loved him, he _knew_ that beauty was more than skin deep and all that crap. But it was one thing to know and another thing to _feel_ , and it was hard to feel worth _anything_ when he looked downright ugly.

Yuuri kept on kissing him, still holding on tight. Viktor took a deep breath and rolled over, turning in Yuuri's arms to press against his chest, pillow left behind.

"Thank you," he breathed. Yuuri smiled and leaned in again, pressed a kiss against each of Viktor's puffy eyelids. Viktor smiled, properly, for the first time that day. He captured Yuuri's lips in a gentle, intimate kiss, tried to pour all his love and gratitude into that one gesture, before settling into Yuuri's chest and closing his eyes again.

"...Huh? Viktor, are you going back to sleep?!"

"Yes," said Viktor.

Yuuri sighed. "Fine, but you'd better get out of bed next time you wake up, alright?"

"Alright."

Viktor felt much, much better the next time he woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> My story is basically the same as Viktor’s in this fic--I never had spots, thought I was the shit, and then woke up in my late teens with a godawful rash right out of nowhere. It never got so bad that I couldn’t see, but my eyelids and cheeks puffed right up and it did affect my vision a little. I also had no idea what had set it off, and I’m still not 100% sure of what I’m allergic to, if anything.
> 
> Btw if anyone thinks that lying in the dark and doing nothing isn’t a reasonable response, I’ll have you know that that is basically all I did during one of my worst outbreaks. That and watch Agent Carter.
> 
> Here’s to fellow eczema sufferers. May our skin be clear, moist, and free of itch.
> 
> **EDIT:** this fic has had so much wonderful feedback! i really wasn't expecting this gosh o///o i'm sorry i can't reply to everyone, so i just want to say: thanks so much for reading! i never expected this silly story to reach people, to actually _mean_ something to people, and i'm a little overwhelmed tbh! so to everyone who's reviewed: you are beautiful, eczema or no eczema  <3 i'm glad this fic made you happy and you know what? you should totally make things which feature characters who have eczema. make us all feel a little better :')
> 
> [If you’d like to complain about eczema with me, or say anything at all, he’s my tumblr askbox!](http://selenaestella.tumblr.com/ask)


End file.
